Winry always knew
by Ashyna
Summary: Winry always knew that she would marry an Elric.


Winry always knew that would marry an Elric. She didn't know how, or when, or why—she just knew that she was right. It seemed inevitable, right, foreseen as if destiny had left a scar in her mind, a note, warning her.

She knew it when she was six years old, and Ed and Al would wrestle over who would marry her. She knew it when they tried to bring their mother back to life, and when Al lost his body and Ed made her cry. She knew it when she found out Scar was the one who killed her parents, and when Ed had taken the gun from her hands. She even knew it when Al came back with his body restored, when Granny Pinako died and when she was walking up the isle, staring into a pair of unnaturally colored golden eyes.

Although she was always sure that she never had to look for a boyfriend, there had been a while when she was confused about which Elric she loved more. That was the way it went, right? The one you loved more was the one that you would marry. Later in life she would laugh at the notion, mirthful giggles escaping from her aged lungs.

For the longest while she had a crush on Al, the younger brother. And why shouldn't she? He was kind, knowing, loved animals and never argued with her. Ed, on the other hand, had to have the last word, pushed her away and never said thank you.

She was around seven years old when she developed a crush on Al, a few years before Trisha Elric died. She had been summoned from her house, screwdriver and wrench dropped when the Al said he had something amazing to show her, older brother in tow behind him.

She grumbled as they pulled her over the small hill separating the two houses, grumpy that they had pulled her away from her tools. "This better be good. Granny said that if I could fix a toaster with normal tools by the end of the day, she'd let me use an electric drill tomorrow, so I can't stay long."

Ed furrowed his brows and turned to retort sharply "Girls shouldn't play with tools." Before they could get into a fight, Al stepped in and grinned happily, one hand grabbing Winry's. "Don't worry Winry, it'll be great. You'll see."

She smiled, bright blue eyes wide as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "You're so sweet, Al." she giggled, ignoring Ed's grunt of disgust.

A few minutes later they were in the brothers' fathers' old study, Al grinning widely as Ed simply shrugged. In the center of the room was a Transmutation Circle, carefully planned shapes drawn out in the ground, with the materials needed for the Alchemy heaped in the middle. Remembering what had happened last time they had transmuted something, Winry shied back and looked at Al fearfully.

He gave her a reassuring smile and she blushed bright red. Ed went to sulk in a corner after noticing the way they were acting. Apparently the prodigy of the two brothers wasn't going to be taking place in this alchemy, and Winry seemed a bit more fearful with that thought in mind.

Winry was a good ways away from the younger brother and the chalk circle, and Al was sitting on his knees in front of it, face contorted in concentration. Slowly he placed his small hands onto the Transmutation Circle, thoughts of what he was going to create swirling throughout his conscious. He had noticed how Winry had been acting lately, so he decided that he would do something about it.

Winry gasped, a small sound not even noticed as her mouth rounded in aw. Blue light was swirling around the boy, bright strikes of color seeming to bounce back and forth form the ceiling; her bright yellow hair and Ed's golden locks flew about as invisible winds shifted throughout the room, the two of them having the longer hair out of the trio.

Out of the ground came a necklace, plain and simple as the leather-bound books that surrounded them. But like the books, it had an inside meaning. The meaning being literal with the books, the necklace's hidden purpose was not so obvious.

It was a simple piece of jewelry, a thin chain with the Japanese symbol of love attached to the center. Al grabbed the chain with his chubby fingers, baby fat not yet gone from his limbs. With a smile that could make the grumpiest old man laugh, Al extended his arm out to his childhood friend, and explained in his high-pitched voice,

"This is for you to give to the person you love the most, Winry. I heard about it from Mommy; she said the ring that Daddy gave her was like the necklace that I'm giving you."

None of the children completely understood the exact meaning of what Trisha Elric had been talking about, and when they would look back on it they giggled helplessly at hilarity of the situation. (At least Al and Winry would; Ed never giggled.)

Winry flushed once more, and squeezing her eyes shut she thrust her arm back in the direction of Al, chain wrapped around her pinky and middle finger.

Al shook his head and gave her instructions much too wise for his age. "Wait to give that to the person you love better until you're older, Winry-chan."

And so the necklace was forgotten, left in the bottom of an old toolbox, dismissed as the novelty of an electric drill replaced how she remembered that musty summer day.

Time went on; she found out that her parents had been killed in the war, soon after that the Elric's mother died, and their father having left them years ago they tried to bring her back. Ed become part of the military at age twelve, and they burnt down their house, only returning when Ed needed repairs on his metal arm and leg. At the ripe age of eighteen, Ed managed to restore Al's body back to normal, the younger bother's soul having been trapped in a suit of armor; Al came back still twelve years old.

The day before Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell were to be married, Winry sat up in her old room, packing up her last few boxes of things as she moved in with the Elric brothers in Central City, Granny Pinako having died. The tape dispenser squealed loudly as she taped up her last box, and she yelped as her ankle hit something hard as she shifted around. Her hands searched her dark closet for what she had hit, fingers stumbling upon her old toolbox. She laughed quietly, and pulled the old thing out from inside her closet

Winry sat herself down on the ground, slowly opening the old red storage container. Inside were a few loose screws, some bolts and a small screwdriver and wrench. She shifted aside the things as she examined the inside, and her eye automatically caught sight of the old chain necklace.

She sighed sadly, and pulled out the old thing. It still shined brightly in the orrange light of the sunset that had filtered in from the window. Anything made by alchemy never rusted, never grew old.

Downstairs the brothers were sitting on an old couch, Ed's long hair pulled back into a pony tail and Al's hand grasping his in an arm wrestle. They both looked up as Winry walked down the well-worn stairs, and Al took that advantage to bend Ed's arm back painfully. He yelped and the two started arguing loudly.

They both protested as she plopped herself in-between them, getting in the way of their rematch. A moment later Al noticed the chain in her hand, Ed's realization soon following after Al's.

Ed grinned triumphantly, and looked expectantly at the old necklace. Winry scooted a little closer to her fiancé, and wrapped the thin metal around both of her pinkies. With a firm tug she snapped the chain in half, extra links falling to the ground.

Ed looked flabbergasted, mouth open as what he saw as a final victory shattered in front of him. He had expected to finally win the argument over who would marry Winry. Said Winry giggled, and wrapped half of the necklace around Ed's wrist, and half around Al's.

"I thought that I told you to give that to who you loved most."

Winry looked sheepish, and shrugged. "I don't love either of you more; just differently."

Al smirked and remarked knowingly, "Took you long enough to figure it out."


End file.
